A south London man has been jailed for 20 years after a court heard how years of rape, violence and coercive control inflicted on a woman and her toddler were only uncovered once she learned to trust the officers investigating her case.
Sergiu Chiriac, 32, of Wray House, Streatham Hill, was sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on Friday, 2 October, after a jury convicted him in February of 12 offences including rape, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, coercive and controlling behaviour and child cruelty.
The court was told his offending stretched across four years, between 2021 and 2025, against a woman in her 20s and her two-year-old child. In addition to the prison term, he will spend four years on licence once released.
The full note of his convictions, published by the Metropolitan Police, lists three counts of rape, three of ABH, and single counts of coercive and controlling behaviour, strangulation, child cruelty, witness intimidation, assault on a child and criminal damage.
How the case against Sergiu Chiriac came to light
The investigation began on 31 March 2025, when a relative of the victim contacted police after she arrived at their home badly hurt — with severe swelling to her head, black eyes and bruising across her body. Officers feared for the safety of both the woman and her young child.
When police reached the property, they found signs of disorder including visible blood in one of the rooms. They later established that Chiriac had attacked both victims without warning the day before — shouting abuse, stopping the woman from leaving, and threatening her with a knife.
He was arrested and initially charged with ABH, criminal damage and child assault, and remanded in custody.
But detectives soon realised the charge sheet told only part of the story. In the weeks that followed, the victim told officers she had more to disclose yet could not bring herself to speak about it fully. Rather than press her, they reassured her she could tell them in her own time and that support would be waiting whenever she was ready.
That patience proved decisive. As she worked with specialist services and began to feel safe, she gave officers a fuller account — revealing multiple rapes and years of sustained abuse. In September 2025 Chiriac was charged again, this time with multiple counts of rape, coercive and controlling behaviour, child cruelty and witness intimidation.
He denied the charges but was found guilty by a jury at Inner London Crown Court on 4 February this year.
“Dangerous and predatory individual”
Detective Constable Izzy Glanvill, who led the investigation, said Chiriac’s offending represented a sustained pattern of violence, coercion and sexual abuse, describing him as a dangerous and predatory individual whose actions were “utterly reprehensible”.
“Targeting a defenceless child highlights the true extent of his brutality,” she said.
She paid tribute to the woman for the courage it took to come forward, adding: “While nothing will undo the harm she and her child have suffered, today’s sentencing will hopefully bring them a small measure of comfort knowing that Chiriac has been held to account.”
The survivor herself shared a message for others still living with abuse. She said she had been surprised by the level of support she received once she left, and wanted others to know that the fear of leaving does not mean staying is safer.
“Since leaving, my child and I have been able to heal, have gotten so much unexpected support with everything and are feeling genuinely peaceful and happy now,” she said.
Part of a wider crackdown
The case is being held up by the force as an example of its changing approach to crimes against women and girls. The Met says new specialist training has now been given to 23,000 officers and staff, and that charges for rape and serious sexual offences have tripled as more survivors feel able to report.
Detectives urged anyone experiencing abuse — or worried about someone who might be — to contact police, adding that victims “will be heard and will be supported”.
Where to get help
Support is available around the clock in England and Wales through the 24/7 Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Line, on 0808 500 2222, or via online chat at 247sexualabusesupport.org.uk. Calls are free and confidential for anyone aged 16 and over.
- Who: Sergiu Chiriac, 32, of Wray House, Streatham Hill
- Convicted of: 12 counts including rape, ABH, coercive and controlling behaviour, strangulation, child cruelty, witness intimidation
- Sentence: 20 years’ imprisonment plus four years on licence
- Court: Inner London Crown Court — convicted 4 February, sentenced 2 October 2026
- Offending period: 2021–2025, against a woman in her 20s and her two-year-old child
- Lead officer: Detective Constable Izzy Glanvill, Metropolitan Police
Update
Updated: 2 October 2026
In her statement to the court, the survivor also thanked the police, the justice system, the NHS and other domestic abuse support services.
She said they had changed her and her child’s lives for the better.
The coercive and controlling behaviour conviction relates to a standalone offence created by the Serious Crime Act 2015. It criminalises a pattern of controlling or coercive conduct towards a partner or family member that seriously affects them, and it can attract up to five years in prison.
Chiriac’s four years on licence are part of an extended sentence imposed for the most serious violent and sexual offences. Once he has served the custodial part of his term, he will be released under strict licence conditions, and any breach could see him recalled to prison.
The National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247 is free, confidential and open 24 hours a day for anyone affected by domestic abuse, while Victim Support can also offer help.
Further update — 2 October 2026 at 6:15pm: Chiriac has been identified in court reporting as a Romanian national. The survivor also told the court: “For those going through similar abuse, I would want for them to know how amazing it is on the other side. I know how it seems more dangerous to leave the abuser and that you and your children are better off with them, but it’s not true.”
